The Pampas Cat
Scientific Name: Leopardus colocolo
IUCN Status: Near Threatened
Weight: 3-8 pounds
Description:
The Pampas Cat is also known as Colocolo and has 3 distinct subspecies; Pampas, Colocolo, and Pantanal. The Pampas cat is relatively small and stocky, about the size of a domestic cat with relatively shirt legs and a shortish, thickly furred tail. The ears are disinctly triangular. The fur colour and pattern is highly variable, however all 3 main subspecies have the same dark brown-black stripping on the forelegs.
The Colocolo is mainly buff-grey and marked with rich ginger blotches all over the body and has dark tail bands.
The Pampas Cat is the palest form with frosted grey fur lightly marked with large indistinct cinnamon blotches and has dark tail bands.
The Pantanal Cat is the darkest form with rust-brown to mahogany-brown fur lacking markings or lightly marked with indistinct blotches and has a dark brown-black socks.
Prey:
Prey is poorly studied; radio-telemetry studies are underway in the Argentinean Andes and Brazilian grasslands that are certain to provide a better understanding. Scat analysis shows that main prey includes small mammals, rodents, hares, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates.
Biology:
This is largely unknown from the wild. Based on limited information from captivity, gestation last around 80-85 days with a litter size of 1 to 3 kittens.